Globally, many river sediments are seriously contaminated with persistent organic pollutants (POPs) known to accumulate in aquatic food. In the Netherlands, toxicological risks of human exposure to dioxins and dioxin-like compounds led to a ban on eel fishing in the Rhine-Meuse delta. The aim of this study is to investigate differences in serum POP levels in consumers of eel from high-polluted areas and consumers of eel from low-polluted areas or aquaculture. In total 80 Dutch men were included, aged 40–70 years, with a habitual eel consumption of at least one portion (150 g) per month. Total levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds were measured in serum of all participants with the DR CALUX bioassay, validated with GC-MS. For a subgroup of 38 participants extensive POP measurements were performed. We revealed that consumption of eel from polluted rivers resulted in 2.5 and up to 10 times increased levels of dioxins and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) respectively compared to controls. The highest PCB levels were detected for PCB 153, with a median level of 896 ng/g lipid and a maximum level of 5000 ng/g lipid in the high-exposed group. Furthermore, hydroxylated PCB metabolites (OH-PCBs: sum of 4-OH-CB107, 4-OH-CB146, 4′-OH-CB172, and 4-OH-CB187) were 8 times higher in men who consumed eel from polluted areas, and detected at levels (median 4.5 ng/g ww) reported to cause adverse health effects. Also, the majority of the perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) were significantly higher in consumers of eel from pullulated areas. In conclusion, this study is the first to reveal that (past) consumption of eel from polluted rivers resulted in high body burdens of dioxins, PCBs, OH-PCBs and PFASs. We confirmed the predictions made in a former risk assessment, and the high levels of dioxins and dioxin-like compounds as well as the OH-PCBs are of health concern.

Thallium (Tl) is a non-essential element in humans and it is considered to be highly toxic. In this study, the contents, sources, and dispersal of Tl were investigated in surface sediments from a riverine system (the western Pearl River Basin, China), whose catchment has been contaminated by mining and roasting of Tl-bearing pyrite ores. The isotopic composition of Pb and total contents of Tl and other relevant metals (Pb, Zn, Cd, Co, and Ni) were measured in the pyrite ores, mining and roasting wastes, and the river sediments. Widespread contamination of Tl was observed in the sediments across the river, with the highest concentration of Tl (17.3 mg/kg) measured 4 km downstream from the pyrite industrial site. Application of a modified Institute for Reference Materials and Measurement (IRMM) sequential extraction scheme in representative sediments unveiled that 60–90% of Tl and Pb were present in the residual fraction of the sediments. The sediments contained generally lower 206Pb/207Pb and higher 208Pb/206Pb ratios compared with the natural Pb isotope signature (1.2008 and 2.0766 for 206Pb/207Pb and 208Pb/206Pb, respectively). These results suggested that a significant fraction of non-indigenous Pb could be attributed to the mining and roasting activities of pyrite ores, with low 206Pb/207Pb (1.1539) and high 208Pb/206Pb (2.1263). Results also showed that approximately 6–88% of Tl contamination in the sediments originated from the pyrite mining and roasting activities. This study highlights that Pb isotopic compositions could be used for quantitatively fingerprinting the sources of Tl contamination in sediments.

In the Athabasca Oil Sands Region in northeastern Alberta, Canada, oil sands operators are testing the feasibility of peatland construction on the post-mining landscape. In 2009, Syncrude Canada Ltd. began construction of the 52 ha Sandhill Fen pilot watershed, including a 15 ha, hydrologically managed fen peatland built on sand-capped soft oil sands tailings. An integral component of fen reclamation is post-construction monitoring of water quality, including salinity, fluvial carbon, and priority pollutant elements. In this study, the effects of fen reclamation and elevated sulfate levels on mercury (Hg) fate and transport in the constructed system were assessed. Total mercury (THg) and methylmercury (MeHg) concentrations in the fen sediment were lower than in two nearby natural fens, which may be due to the higher mineral content of the Sandhill Fen peat mix and/or a loss of Hg through evasion during the peat harvesting, stockpiling and placement processes. Porewater MeHg concentrations in the Sandhill Fen typically did not exceed 1.0 ng L−1. The low MeHg concentrations may be a result of elevated porewater sulfate concentrations (mean 346 mg L−1) and an increase in sulphide concentrations with depth in the peat, which are known to suppress MeHg production. Total Hg and MeHg concentrations increased during a controlled mid-summer flooding event where the water table rose above the ground surface in most of the fen. The Hg dynamics during this event showed that hydrologic fluctuations in this system exacerbate the release of THg and MeHg downstream. In addition, the elevated SO42− concentrations in the peat porewaters may become a problem with respect to downstream MeHg production once the fen is hydrologically connected to a larger wetland network that is currently being constructed.

Using the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique and microelectrode technique, hypoxia and its effects on the release of phosphorus (P) from sediments were carefully investigated in Hongfeng Reservoir, a typical deep-water ecosystem where eutrophication and hypoxia is still an environmental challenge in Southwest China. The results suggested that hypoxia significantly promotes the release of P from sediments and the release of P under hypoxic condition mostly comes from the release of BD–P. Together with the in-situ and high resolution evidences from DGT and microelectrode, the release of P from sediments under hypoxic condition was assumed to be coupled processes which are associated with the combined cycles of “P-Fe-S”. Evidences from the present work implied that the internal P-loadings induced by hypoxia, especially after a reduction of external P-loading, should be paid more attention in eutrophic deep-water reservoirs, Southwest China.

In the last decade studies have reported the presence of several pharmaceutical drugs in aquatic environments worldwide and an increasing effort has been done to understand the impacts induced on wildlife. Among the most abundant drugs in the environment is caffeine, which has been reported as an effective chemical anthropogenic marker. However, as for the majority of pharmaceuticals, scarce information is available on the adverse effects of caffeine on marine benthic organisms, namely polychaetes which are the most abundant group of organisms in several aquatic ecossystems. Thus, the present study aimed to evaluate the biochemical alterations induced by environmentally relevant concentrations of caffeine on the polychaete species Diopatra neapolitana and Arenicola marina. The results obtained demonstrated that after 28 days exposure oxidative stress was induced in both species, especially noticed in A. marina, resulting from the incapacity of antioxidant and biotransformation enzymes to prevent cells from lipid peroxidation. The present study further revealed that D. neapolitana used glycogen and proteins as energy to develop defense mechanisms while in A. marina these reserves were maintained independently on the exposure concentration, reinforcing the low capacity of this species to fight against oxidative stress.

Magnetic and geochemical parameters of soils are determined with respect to geology, pedogenesis and anthropopression. Depending on local conditions these factors affect magnetic and geochemical signals simultaneously or in various configurations. We examined four type of soils (Entic Podzol, Eutric Cambisol, Humic Cambisol and Dystric Cambisol) developed on various bedrock (the Tumlin Sandstone, basaltoid, amphibolite and serpentinite, respectively). Our primary aim was to characterize the origin and diversification of the magnetic and geochemical signal in soils in order to distinguish the most reliable methods for correct interpretation of measured parameters. Presented data include selected parameters, both magnetic (mass magnetic susceptibility – χ, frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility – χfd and thermomagnetic susceptibility measurement – TSM), and geochemical (selected heavy metal contents: Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb, Zn). Additionally, the enrichment factor (EF) and index of geoaccumulation (Igeo) were calculated. Our results suggest the following: (1) the χ/Fe ratio may be a reliable indicator for determining changes of magnetic signal origin in soil profiles; (2) magnetic and geochemical signals are simultaneously higher (the increment of χ and lead and zinc was noted) in topsoil horizons because of the deposition of technogenic magnetic particles (TMPs); (3) EF and Igeo evaluated for lead and zinc unambiguously showed anthropogenic influence in terms of increasing heavy metal contents in topsoil regardless of bedrock or soil type; (4) magnetic susceptibility measurements supported by TSM curves for soil samples of different genetic horizons are a helpful tool for interpreting the origin and nature of the mineral phases responsible for the changes of magnetic susceptibility values.

The Three Gorges Reservoir (TGR) is one of the world's largest man-made hydropower projects, which has posed great challenges to the aquatic environment of the Yangtze River since the impoundment of water. As a non-essential toxic metalloid, information on the bioavailability of Antimony (Sb) in TGR sediments is lacking. Four sediment cores were collected from a tributary and the mainstream in the TGR to investigate the distribution and remobilization of Sb using the diffusive gradients in thin films (DGT) technique. The results showed that the concentrations of Sb obtained by DGT (CDGT-Sb) at all of the sampling stations were low (below 0.30 μg/L), compared to the relatively high Sb concentrations in the sediments. The lateral and vertical distributions of CDGT-Sb revealed different tendencies in overlying water and sediments at all of the sampling sites in the TGR, which may be attributed to anthropogenic impacts, the heterogeneity of sediments and the unevenness of the sediment-water interface (SWI) during the deployment of DGT probes. In addition, CDGT-Sb in the surface sediments were lower than those in the overlying water, and concentration gradients were found near the SWI, demonstrating that Sb has the potential to diffuse from the overlying water into the sediment. In the sediment cores, different peaks were discovered in the DGT probes and the remobilization of Sb simultaneously appeared in the vicinity of −10 cm. Correlation analysis showed that CDGT-Sb had no or negative correlation with CDGT-Fe and CDGT-Mn in all of the DGT probes, suggesting that the release of Sb was unassociated with Fe and Mn in the sediments in the study area.

Graphene oxide (GO) and reduced graphene oxide (RGO) materials contain a variety of surface O-functional groups that are chemically reactive. When released into the environment these materials may significantly affect the abiotic transformation of organic contaminants, and therefore, may alter their fate and risks. We found that two GO and five RGO materials that varied in C/O ratio, hydrophobicity, and type/distribution of surface O-functionality all had catalytic effects on the dehydrochlorination of 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TeCA). Even though the catalytic effects of the materials originated from their deprotonated surface O-functional groups, which served as conjugated bases to catalyze the reaction, the catalytic efficiencies of the materials did not correlate strongly with their surface O contents. The spectroscopic evidence (X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy), surface charge data, and adsorption experiments demonstrated that the catalytic efficiencies of the GO/RGO materials were controlled by a complex interplay of the type and distribution of surface O-functionality, as well as adsorption affinity of the materials. Both Ca2+ and Mg2+ inhibited the catalytic efficiency of the materials by binding to the surface O-functional groups, and consequently, decreasing the basicity of the functional groups. At an environmentally relevant concentration of 10 mg/L, Suwannee River humic acid (used as a model dissolved organic matter) alone had little effect on the dehydrochlorination of TeCA. However, it could inhibit the catalytic efficiency of the GO/RGO materials by coating on their surface and thus, decreasing the adsorption affinity of these materials for TeCA. The findings further underline the potentially important impacts of nanomaterials on contaminant fate and effects in the environment.

The application of road deicing salts has led to the salinization of freshwater ecosystems in northern regions worldwide. Increased chloride concentrations in lakes, streams, ponds, and wetlands may negatively affect freshwater biota, potentially threatening ecosystem services. In an effort to reduce the effects of road salt, operators have increased the use of salt alternatives, yet we lack an understanding of how these deicers affect aquatic communities. We examined the direct and indirect effects of the most commonly used road salt (NaCl) and a proprietary salt mixture (NaCl, KCl, MgCl2), at three environmentally relevant concentrations (150, 470, and 780 mg Cl−/L) on freshwater wetland communities in combination with one of three biotic stressors (control, predator cues, and competitors). The communities contained periphyton, phytoplankton, zooplankton, and two tadpole species (American toads, Anaxyrus americanus; wood frogs, Lithobates sylvaticus). Overall, we found the two road salts did not interact with the natural stressors. Both salts decreased pH and reduced zooplankton abundance. The strong decrease in zooplankton abundance in the highest NaCl concentration caused a trophic cascade that resulted in increased phytoplankton abundance. The highest NaCl concentration also reduced toad activity. For the biotic stressors, predatory stress decreased whereas competitive stress increased the activity of both tadpole species. Wood frog survival, time to metamorphosis, and mass at metamorphosis all decreased under competitive stress whereas toad time to metamorphosis increased and mass at metamorphosis decreased. Road salts and biotic stressors can both affect freshwater communities, but their effects are not interactive.

With concern about levels and exceedances of Canadian and provincial standards and objectives for fine particulate matter (PM2.5) in recent years, an investigation of air quality characteristics and potential local and long-range sources influencing PM2.5 concentrations was undertaken in the City of Red Deer, Alberta. The study covered the period May 2009 to December 2015. Comparatively higher concentrations of PM2.5 were observed in winter (mean: 11.6 μg/m3, median: 10 μg/m3) than in summer (mean: 9.0 μg/m3, median: 7.0 μg/m3). Exceedances of the 1 h Alberta Ambient Air Quality objective (3–31 times per year > 80 μg/m3) and the 24 h Canada-Wide Standard (2–11 times per year > 30 μg/m3) were found at the Red Deer Riverside air monitoring station, particularly in 2010, 2011 and 2015. Positive matrix factorization (PMF) followed by multiple linear regression (MLR) analysis identified a mixed industry/agriculture factor as the dominant contributor to PM2.5 (39.3%), followed by an O3−rich (biogenic) factor (26.4%), traffic (19.3%), biomass burning (10.5%) and a mixed urban factor (4.4%). In addition to local traffic, the mixed industry/agriculture factor – inferred as mostly upstream oil and gas emission sources surrounding Red Deer – was identified as another potentially important source contributing to wintertime high PM2.5 pollution days. These findings offer useful preliminary information about current PM2.5 sources and their potential contributions in Red Deer; and this information can support policy makers in the development of particulate matter control strategies if required.